“I realised at that point I had been putting my self-worth in everything that was fleeting & could be taken away, and that I needed to figure out how to like myself for me and to be comfortable and confident in my skin…with who I was…without needing other people’s validation.”

Molly Galbraith is the Founder of Girls Gone Strong - the world’s largest platform providing evidence-based body-positive health, fitness and nutrition advice for women (and the professionals who work with them) - and you’ll meet her on Sparta Chicks Radio this week!

Molly’s love affair with strength training began in 2004 when she discovered powerlifting.

A few years later, she began competing in figure competitions.

And yet it was during this time that she began a vicious cycle of stripping weight to compete, then binging and regaining weight for several years until her “body hit a wall” and she was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and adrenal issues.

What began as a mission to change how her body looked, Molly now leads the team at GGS on a mission to educate and encourage women to have agency and autonomy over their bodies.

In this conversation, we discuss:

* that she initially became involved in weight training in 2004 to change the way her body looked

* the vicious cycle of competing, binging and gaining weight she experienced from 2006 - 2008 until her “body hit a wall” and she was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and adrenal issues,

* how she was able to disengage from the desire to gain praise for how her body looked,

* the importance of pausing when you notice an old pattern or habit kick in so you can consciously decide how you want to respond,

* the origins of Girls Gone Strong and the metamorphous it has gone through over the years from advocating for strength training for women in the early days through to promoting agency and autonomy, and

* why she says the message that women should “learn to love their flaws” is so destructive.